Florida wildfire kills two forest rangers

Over 400 wildfires continue to blaze across Florida and one near the border with Georgia has claimed the lives of two forest rangers.

The rangers – Josh Burch, 31, and Brett Fulton, 52 – had been trying contain a 12-acre blaze when the fire flared up and trapped them. Two others were injured trying to save the men.

The fire in which the rangers died – the Blue Ribbon Fire in Florida’s Hamilton County – was burning roughly 85 miles north-east of the city of Tallahassee and had previously been considered contained.

“The wildfires have ravaged our state, burning more than 200,000 acres, and now, they have taken the lives of two of our very own men,” Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam said in a statement.

Aside from Florida, fires continue to burn in Arizona, Texas and New Mexico.

It takes a special breed to be a firefighter. Newswarped salutes all those involved in fighting the wildfires across the US and helping to protect their communities. Well done chaps and chapesses.